Sign in

Tabea Elsener

@tabeaelsener.bsky.social
137 followers 346 following 19 posts

Postdoc in the Rocha Lab at Institut Pasteur. I love anything moving within and between bacterial genomes, reading old research papers and making microbiology experiments edible with sourdough baking =)

PostsRepliesMedia
Reposted by Tabea Elsener
Jorge Moura de Sousa @jmouradesousa.bsky.social · 20/09/2026
Happy to see our work on the evolution of antiviral repertoires in P4-like satellites and their P2-like helper phages (check out the 🧵 👇) out in @narjournal.bsky.social 🔗 doi.org/10.1093/nar/... #phagesky #MicroSky #evosky
doi.org
Shuttling, swapping, and mixing: the rapid modular evolution of antiviral repertoires in temperate phages and their satellites
Abstract. Interactions between bacteria, bacteriophages, and their satellites are shaped by a myriad of defence and counter-defence mechanisms. Here, we id
25538
Reposted by Tabea Elsener
Eduardo Rocha @epcrocha.bsky.social · 17/03/2026
Horizontal gene transfer is often depicted as a process distributing pre-existing functions to novel genetic backgrounds. Yet HGT can also increase the rate of functional innovation after transfer. Here's a brief review on the topic: ecoevorxiv.org/repository/v... #evosky #microsky
ecoevorxiv.org
From Trading Genes to Crafting New Tricks: How Horizontal Gene Transfer Potentiates the Emergence of Novel Functions
19042
Tabea Elsener @tabeaelsener.bsky.social · 13/03/2026
DoxyPEP has been implemented in several countries as a public health intervention against bacterial STIs, but plasmids in Neisseria gonorrhoeae undermine its promise. We summarise knowledge of gonococcal plasmid biology and epidemiology to address this threat. journals.asm.org/doi/10.1128/...
journals.asm.org
Plasmids in Neisseria gonorrhoeae: drivers of DoxyPEP failure and an emerging threat for current therapy | Clinical Microbiology Reviews
SUMMARYGonococcal disease is a serious threat to reproductive health, with cases and antimicrobial resistance steadily increasing. Currently, the β-lactam antibiotic ceftriaxone is the mainstay of tre...
000
Reposted by Tabea Elsener
Jorge Moura de Sousa @jmouradesousa.bsky.social · 02/03/2026
➡️ preprint from the lab! Bacteria have loads of antiviral defences in their mobile genetic elements (MGEs). So when MGEs move between bacteria, the defences move with them, generating a fast turnover of defences in bacteria. But what about the antiviral defence turnover in the MGEs themselves? 🤔 🧵👇
biorxiv.org
17747
Tabea Elsener @tabeaelsener.bsky.social · 14/02/2026
Thanks David😊
000
Reposted by Tabea Elsener
Manuel Ares-Arroyo @aresarroyom.bsky.social · 14/01/2026
Bacteria chromosomes contain Genomic Islands that provide virulence, antibiotic resistance, MGE-defence,... They transfer between cells, but the mechanism of most remains elusive. Here we explore the conjugative capacity of these mysterious Genomic Islands. www.biorxiv.org/content/10.6...
biorxiv.org
48453
Tabea Elsener @tabeaelsener.bsky.social · 13/01/2026
My favourite - the NlaIV system, which can vary its specificity subunit to produce epigenetically heterogeneous populations that present variable bottlenecks to within-species plasmid transmission🤯
010
Tabea Elsener @tabeaelsener.bsky.social · 13/01/2026
Neisseria gonorrhoeae carries an unusually large number of restriction–modification systems (up to 16!), many of which are phase-variable. How does this affect plasmid transmission in gonococci? doi.org/10.64898/202...
doi.org
21510
Tabea Elsener @tabeaelsener.bsky.social · 21/09/2025
I am already excited for my next scientific adventure 🌟 @pasteur.fr @epcrocha.bsky.social
160
Tabea Elsener @tabeaelsener.bsky.social · 21/09/2025
Many thanks also to my assessors @jpjhall.bsky.social and Prof Craig McLean for the thought-provoking discussions during my viva!
010
Tabea Elsener @tabeaelsener.bsky.social · 21/09/2025
On Friday, I passed my PhD viva with no corrections. I can't believe it has already been 4 years at @dunnschool.bsky.social @ox.ac.uk ! What an amazing time it has been! A huge thank you to my supervisor Prof Christoph Tang who has supported me throughout my PhD journey!
880
Reposted by Tabea Elsener
Dr Craig R McClain @drcraigmc.bsky.social · 24/06/2025
I've wanted to write this article for years. About my and other's struggles to even survive sometime in #academia. Thank you to the amazing editors at @plosbiology.org that gave me the forum to write this piece. #science
journals.plos.org
Too poor to science: How wealth determines who succeeds in STEM
From student to researcher, a career in science can come with a high price tag. This Perspective explores how persistent financial barriers limit who can succeed in science, revealing how wealth shape...
23410198
Tabea Elsener @tabeaelsener.bsky.social · 03/07/2025
Lanyard upgrade😍 Thanks @twistbioscience.com! #sciencematters #standupforscience
120
Reposted by Tabea Elsener
Jerónimo Rodríguez-Beltrán @jerorb.bsky.social · 02/07/2025
🚨🚨New paper out in @natcomms.nature.com!! Come for the first large-scale analysis of plasmid copy number across species, stay for one of the most intriguing results of my lab: universal scaling laws in plasmid biology! 📈🧬 👉 www.nature.com/articles/s41...
nature.com
Universal rules govern plasmid copy number - Nature Communications
Plasmids exhibit a broad range of sizes and copies per cell, and these two parameters appear to be negatively correlated. Here, Ramiro-Martínez et al. analyse the copy number of thousands of diverse b...
418585
Tabea Elsener @tabeaelsener.bsky.social · 07/05/2025
Very happy to see the second paper of my PhD now published in PLOS Pathogens! dx.plos.org/10.1371/jour...
dx.plos.org
Origin, evolution, and success of pbla, the gonococcal beta-lactamase plasmid, and implications for public health
Author summary Neisseria gonorrhoeae is a threat to sexual and reproductive health. With no available vaccine against gonococcal disease, control of infection depends on having effective antimicrobial...
3276
Reposted by Tabea Elsener
Yonatan Grad @yhgrad.bsky.social · 08/04/2025
"Axial asymmetry organizes division plane orthogonality in Neisseria gonorrhoeae" Out today in @currentbiology.bsky.social! Beautiful live cell imaging and genetics work led by Adi Bandekar and with @fleshball.bsky.social. www.sciencedirect.com/science/arti...
061
Reposted by Tabea Elsener
Microbiology Society @microbiologysociety.org · 10/03/2025
Only two weeks left to register for #Microbio25! Join us for four days of scientific symposia, workshops, fora, Prize Lectures and much more! The deadline is 24 March at 12:00 GMT. Secure your spot, register now - microb.io/AC25Registra... #Microbio25
053
Tabea Elsener @tabeaelsener.bsky.social · 27/02/2025
@dunnschool.bsky.social
000
Tabea Elsener @tabeaelsener.bsky.social · 27/02/2025
It started with a passionate discussion about #GenderEquality in science on a trainride and suddendly, we have been running panel discussions for over a year. In our last panel, I discussed with Dessislava Veltcha, Sally Cowley and Mathew Stracy how to navigate different career paths.
111
Tabea Elsener @tabeaelsener.bsky.social · 27/02/2025
@dunnschool.bsky.social
000
Tabea Elsener @tabeaelsener.bsky.social · 08/01/2025
pbla is mobilised by the conjugative plasmid pConj, which can harbour a tetracycline resistance marker that confers doxycycline resistance. Due to the close relationship between pbla and pConj, widespread use of Doxy-PEP is likely to promote the spread of both pConj and pbla.
010
Tabea Elsener @tabeaelsener.bsky.social · 08/01/2025
In particular, TEM-135, which has arisen in certain pbla variants, increases resistance to beta-lactams and only requires one amino acid change to become an extended spectrum beta-lactamase.
100
Tabea Elsener @tabeaelsener.bsky.social · 08/01/2025
Subsequently, different evolutionary pathways were taken by three major pbla variants. Changes that mitigate fitness costs of pbla and the emergence of TEM beta-lactamases which confer increased resistance have contributed to the success of pbla.
100
Tabea Elsener @tabeaelsener.bsky.social · 08/01/2025
We investigated the origin and evolution of pbla and demonstrate that the plasmid was acquired on at least two occasions from Haemophilus ducreyi.
100
Tabea Elsener @tabeaelsener.bsky.social · 08/01/2025
Where does the gonococcal beta-lactamase plasmid pbla come from and how does its interaction with the conjugative plasmid pConj, fitness costs and resistance levels determine its spread in the population? And what are the implications for current treatment and prevention strategies such as Doxy-PEP?
100
Tabea Elsener @tabeaelsener.bsky.social · 08/01/2025
A hitchhiker’s guide to the gonococcal population: biorxiv.org/content/10.1...
biorxiv.org
The origin and evolution of the gonococcal beta-lactamase plasmid, and implications for public health
Neisseria gonorrhoeae is a leading cause of sexually transmitted infection (STI) and a priority AMR pathogen. Two narrow host range plasmids, p bla and pConj, have contributed to ending penicillin and...
11910
Tabea Elsener @tabeaelsener.bsky.social · 08/01/2025
Absolutely! I finally made it to the bright side and will announce the preprint here as well. Thanks! I'm looking forward to hearing your thoughts on it!
110